By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Vassilis Spanoulis’ go-ahead 3-pointer with one minute remaining paved the way for Olympiacos‘ 61 – 58 road victory over Anadolu Efes in Istanbul, a result that keeps the Reds at the top seed with an 11-3 record.
The captain of Olympiacos finished with a team-high 12 points, plus 4 rebounds and 4 assists while Hollis Thompson contributed 11 points. Two days after his career-night vs CSKA Moscow, Jamel McLean added 9 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists for 20 PIR, plus a “golden” 2/2 from the line that allowed a 3-point lead to his team, 26 seconds before the expiration of the game clock.
Efes had a solid opportunity to force an overtime but with 11 seconds remaining, Errick McCollum‘s (16 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists for a game-high 23 PIR) downtown shot didn’t fall in. Now the Turkish team is in serious trouble since they remain at the bottom of the standings after suffering their 11th loss in the EuroLeague season.
The American guard had previously paced his team through a comeback from a 41 – 47 deficit to a 54 – 50 lead, with three minutes left. But he and Krunoslav Simon‘s (17 points, 7 rebounds) received small help from their teammates and that resulted in a season-low 58 by Efes.
Efes will face Unicaja Malaga next week in a potentially “do-or-die” match while Olympiacos travels to Kaunas to play against Zalgiris, the pleasant surprise of the season so far.